Proverbs 6:30-35

Hey, hey, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This is where every day we get together, we get into God's Word, and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through all the wisdom literature. So good to have you here this morning. We are at Proverbs chapter 6, finishing off the Proverbs verses 30 through 35 in Proverbs chapter 6.
Why don't we go ahead and have some coffee, pray, and get into God's Word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. We thank you for your word and we pray now that as we read your word, you would teach us your wisdom in Jesus's name. Amen. All right, here we go. Proverbs chapter 6 verses 20 or 30 through 35.
People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving. Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold. He may have to give up all his substance of his house. Whoever commits adultery with a woman who lacks understanding, he who does so destroys his own soul. Wounds and dishonor he will get, and his reproach will not be wiped away. For jealousy is a husband's fury, therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will accept no recompense, nor will he be appeased, though you give many gifts."
We need to ask ourselves, A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do in response to this? Well, what is this about? The thief and the adulterer. The thief and the adulterer. The first verse, verse 30 and 31 is about the thief, right? You can understand a guy who's starving, and he steals something you can show sympathy to that guy yeah he's gonna have to repay because he stole something but you can understand that but you know what you can't understand Verses 32 through 35. The person who willfully walks into adultery. What does it say about this person? You destroy your own soul. You destroy your life, son, if you do this. You destroy your soul if you commit adultery. You can't repay it. There's nothing. You can't recompense for it.
What's done is done. If you've violated your neighbor's wife, it's done. There's no going back from that. There's wounds, there's astonishment, there's reproach, there's jealousy from that husband and that husband. What does it say? That there's going to be vengeance, recompense, and no matter how much you try to bribe and pay back, you can't. You can't. Period. It's done.
This is why in a lot of laws, even in Western society, there are laws for crimes of passion. How many husbands have walked in on this situation, or wives walked in on this situation, grabbed their gun and shot the person who was sleeping with their spouse, and they've successfully gotten away with, or they successfully defended themselves with temporary insanity, with a crime of passion. and had their sentences reduced. And in the Old Testament law, the law was that adultery was a capital offense. And so the father is saying to his son here, boy, I'm telling you if you do this, you're going to ruin your life.
You're probably going to die. Don't do it. Right? Don't do it. Now, we don't see that so much in our society today in America. Or maybe you're watching in another country. Maybe you're watching in Canada or something like that. Our laws don't allow for the death penalty for adultery. But you're still going to ruin your life.
Oh, I can't tell you how many couples we have counseled that struggle with this because of the reality of adultery. Sitting here in this office, talking to people, not members of our congregation, but seeing their lives crumble. Seeing their families ripped apart. Seeing the destruction that this has caused. I can understand a poor man who steals. I can get that. A man who will willfully throw away his entire family. because he wants to go sleep with another woman, don't do it. Don't do it. The reality though is, like we talked about yesterday, if you've ever lusted for someone with your eyes, you've already committed adultery in your heart.
Where do you find grace for that? After you've destroyed your life by those bad choices, where do you find grace? Well, when David did this, he cried out in Psalm 51, against you and you alone, O Lord, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight? He confesses his sin, and the only hope he has, even though he's guilty, is crying out to God and pleading with the Lord for forgiveness.
Wash me of my iniquities and I will be cleaner than snow. Cry out to the Lord. It's better to stay away from it. It's better to stay away. But cry out to the Lord and when you sin, That's the only place we'll find forgiveness. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this day. We pray that indeed we might walk in purity. We pray, Father, that we would walk after your ways. Please, Lord, care for us this day. Please let us stay far away from the path of sin. Father, when we do sin, we pray that we would run to you. that we would confess our sins, for you are faithful and righteous to forgive us of all of our sins, and to cleanse us of all of our unrighteousness. In Jesus's name, amen. Well, may the Lord bless you today. May you rest in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, and may you walk in the paths of Christ. I'll see you tomorrow, bye.